A House for ME Board of Directors
Dennis Dean
Executive Director
Dennis is a Nurse Anesthetist who, in addition to other facilities, has worked at the Pineland Dental Clinic and the Preble Street Dental Clinic, both of which served our population of citizens with Intellectual Disabilities. In the 1990’s, he lectured as an adjunct at the University of New England Nurse Anesthesia Program including about the care of persons with Intellectual Disabilities. He served on the Consumer Advisory Board, representing the interests of disabled citizens when the State of Maine settled the Community Consent Decree. He has been involved in the Special Olympics movement since the 1980’s, serving as Director of York County Special Olympics since 1991. He is a veteran of twenty years of military service in the Air Force. He resides in Kittery.
Heather Kinsey, FNP, MSN
Board Chair
Heather is a Family Nurse Practitioner employed by York Hospital. She has volunteered for the Special Olympics for 30 years and has served two terms on the Board of Directors of Special Olympics Maine. She is the Mom of a teenager with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. She resides in Berwick.
Kristen Crawford
Kristen Crawford is an educator, employed by the New Hampshire Department of Education. She is a native of Kittery. She has been a key volunteer at the York County Special Olympics for several years.
Debbie Dean
Treasurer
Debbie is the mom of three, one of whom has an Intellectual Disability, and one an Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has been involved with the Special Olympics for over thirty years. She resides in Kittery.
Karen Taylor, RN, CEN
Secretary
Karen is a retired Nurse Manager of the Emergency Department at Maine Medical Center. She has held several offices nationally, regionally, and locally in the Emergency Nurses Association. She resides in South Portland.
Kenneth (Jamey) Kinsey
Jamey is the Games Director for York County Special Olympics, serving over 300 special athletes every year. He is a Navy Veteran and an IT professional at Hussey Seating. He resides in Berwick.
Marj Tricca
Marjorie is a retired Registered Nurse Surgical First Assistant. She is a past member of the Association of Operating Room Nurses and past president of her local chapter. She has volunteered at A House for ME from it’s beginning.
Owen Voight
Owen Voigt is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker employed by Maine Medical Center on their Inpatient Psychiatric Unit. She has worked in the community as a social work facilitator and counselor. She interned with Preble Street in their Housing First Program helping people link with resources in the community and navigate obstacles to transition into their own home. She volunteered with the Center for Grieving Children, co-facilitating a middle school group which included helping the children process their loss, arranging lesson plans, structuring the group and connecting with the children in a highly influential way. She firmly believes everyone deserves a safe place to call home. She resides in Biddeford.
Kristin Taylor
Vice Chair
Kristin is the Nurse Manager of Inpatient Psychiatry at Maine Medical Center. She was formerly the Unit Based Educator and a charge nurse on that unit – dedicated to the care of people with psychiatric illnesses. She resides in Biddeford.
Liz Hunt
Liz Hunt PMH-CNS, MSN is a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist with 40 years experience working in the field of psychiatry and working for the past 15 years serving individuals on the autism spectrum and with intellectual disabilities. Originally from Boston Liz and her family volunteered with Challenger League Baseball and later with Special Friends, a monthly social program for special needs adults founded by Joanne Patton in Hamilton, Massachusetts. After 10 years of seasonal camping in Berwick she finally made the leap and moved to Berwick 6 years ago.
Gina Frias
Gina is a retired chef originally from Providence, RI. She lived in Massachusetts for 30 years where she and her family volunteered with Challenger League Baseball and later with Special Friends in Hamilton, Massachusetts. She moved to Berwick 6 years ago where she enjoys gardening, caring for her array of animals and helping out at a local horse farm.